Unplug and Recharge: Sky Meditation

Yesterday morning I got up early and went for a walk. There's a beautiful hiking trail close to my house here in Boulder. It wraps up the back of a mountain, and as you ascend up the trail you get a fuller and fuller view of the city below and the landscape in the distance.

During that particular outing, my mind was pretty busy sorting through details of my upcoming move, rehashing a heated conversation that I had had the night before, and believing my inner dialogue of doubt around a big writing project I'm working on.

Then I looked up. Rather than just seeing the dusty gravel underneath my feet and the periwinkle wildflowers beside me, I saw the sky. Cobalt blue, unfettered, and vast: the sky instantly silenced my chattering mind. I realized that I had been applying such a microscopic view to my life; and, in an instant, I remembered that there was so much more to who I am and what this life is about.

This experience inspired me to practice a "sky meditation" that I have learned from several different Tibetan Buddhist teachers over the years. It's so simple and effective; and I'd love to share it with you:

1. Choose a time when the sun is not too bright in the sky. Early morning and evening are best.

2. Sit down outside or near a window. You can also lie down on the grass. If you're sitting down, make sure that you have mostly sky in your line of sight.

3. Relax your gaze, relax your body, and let your jaw drop open slightly, as if you in a state of quiet awe.

4. Sit for 5 minutes, letting your awareness mix with the spaciousness of the sky. You're not looking for anything, or trying to get anywhere. You're just gazing at the sky.

5. Can the sky remind you of anything about who you truly are, beyond your thoughts and feelings?

6. Blink whenever you need to and remember to never look directly at the sun!

7. When you've finished, close your eyes , take a few deep breaths, and prepare to transition into the rest of your day, keeping that sense of vast awareness with you during all of your thoughts, conversations, and actions.

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Comments

[mamacat]

Gazing at the heavens costs nothing, and is a constant source of enjoyment.
There is a meteor shower that maxes out every year about Aug. 12, one of the best of the year. Once in my life, I was lucky enough to catch this particular meteor shower just right, and we saw maybe a dozen meteors per minute for over an hour. An unforgettable experience, and no charge for admission. Astronomers are saying Earth might travel through the old comet tail of Swift-Tuttle again this year, making for a wonderful sight.
In 2007 there was a comet visible for awhile in Casseiopia.
A few months ago, I was able to see the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle going overhead in close proximity, with the naked eye.
Venus is often visible to the naked eye during day time, if one knows where to look. Be careful not to look into the Sun by mistake, so as to avoid potentially permanent eye damage.
Much information is available on the internet about what is visible during any particular season.

[RockinDiva]

I start an Astronomy course in the fall and one of the required labs is going to the observatory at night to sketch. I can't wait, it's always relaxing to look up at the night sky.

[SonofLiberty1]

Then there is a Basketball Player in your future:)

http://www.universetoday.com/2009/03/09/the-basketball-player-in-the-moon-catch-it-tonight/

[kladinvt]

I love the night sky, especially in the dead of winter because the air is clear and you can see the Milky Way overhead. It's the equivalent of sitting on a deserted beach and watching the waves roll in....a glimpse of the infinite.

[Sara Avant Stover - Huffpost Blogger]

thanks for comments, all.
while i agree that star gazing is both fascinating and humbling, that is not quite what i was writing about here.
what i was (trying) to express is that when we look at the blue sky we can use this as a form of meditation. in seeing the sky, we are reminded of the nature of our very own minds. vast, free, luminous. as we watch the clouds pass in the sky we see how our own thoughts move through our minds in the same way.
here is an article about a meditation practice where you start to realize that the nature of your mind is like the sky:
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1594
again, thanks for sharing!

[SonofLiberty1]

Sara,

Then you need to coin your own term for it.

And you should include a photo of a blue sky without clouds or moon.

[mamacat]

Well, I like to look at the sky during all of the 24 hours in the day.

[SonofLiberty1]

Look at the photo of the moon and then Google

The Basketball Player in The Moon.

[Marie-Elena15]

I agree with you, I love to look at the sky. Since I live in the S.E., I don't get out so often in the summer, too hot, but in the springtime I go out in the early mornings and take pictures of the sunrises! And I love to see the big fluffy white clouds floating along against the beautiful blue sky. Maybe it reminds of us childhood, when life was carefree, and we were trying to identify what the clouds looked like. I did that with my daughter recently, and it brought back nice memories. It's about living in the present, right?

[Tom Joad]

You never looked at the night sky before? Really? This was a revelation to you? Really? You grew up in a city, didn't you?

[sadiemonster]

ohhhh, don't be such a hater!

[SonofLiberty1]

Tom has a point Sadie, for the most part, most of us live in surburban areas that are heavily light polluted so we don't get to see the sky as it really is.

[Treehuggindirtworshiper]

Early morning on August 12th before dawn, the perseid meteor shower will be at its peak. More info at
http://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors/ I saw this in California 2 years ago it was fantastic!

[humaneismyth]

well God hasn't broken the mold yet when it comes to humanity,it seems.

[BlueZoo]

I confess to being a night sky watcher! A Summer night, replete with a blanket to lie on, looking up at the stars just cannot be equaled. I even learned the names of the constellations just because I wasn't content with seeing the shapes and not knowing what they were named. I often envision myself sitting on the cusp of the crescent moon and looking down at the Earth. All of this can be more restful than a fistful of sleeping pills and, if you just happen to have someone you love next to you, it can be one of the most fulfilling nights of your life!

[1sparrow]

hey wasn't that black hole in jupiter a secret black hole?

[DiogenesOfAlaska]

After 500000 years of homo sapiens I may be the first to point out that the reason sunrises and sunsets are so easily romanticized and endowed with mythical meaning is because that's the only time of the day when you actually CAN look into the sun.

Or maybe I'm not the first to notice this. :-)

Thanks for the reminder.

[humaneismyth]

close.But it is really because beginnings and endings are always so much more dramatic and beautiful.­Really.

[DiogenesOfAlaska]

you're right. Sure reminds of 'The little prince' and his goodbye.